From the frying pan…

I stopped breathing. My heart might have stopped beating for a moment as well. An avalanche of icicles fell down my spine as I looked at those three men in the room, and my sense of security dissolved in the air. I stared at the crimson flare in Nicor's eyes and felt the panic building inside me.

"We're not going to hurt you, Nala." Ash's deep voice made my head snap in his direction. He stepped toward me, and I wished I could sink into the wall I was leaning against. "No one can bite you unless you are willing."

I groaned in frustration. "What does it even mean?" I looked at Nicor and the other man and watched uncomfortable grimaces appear. My frustration turned into anger. "I highly doubt if those waitresses were"—I air-quoted with my fingers—"willing."

The man with white hair chuckled. "They thought they were, and in the eyes of the council, that's all that matters."

His words confused me even more, but something aside from his words caught my attention. I didn't realize it when he